Back on May 3, JinAZ posted his Better Know a Red feature on Bronson Arroyo. I missed out on posting the Human League entry at the same time, but I'm catching up now.

In related news, I'm now adopting Mr. Arroyo as Red Hot Mama's Designated Reds' Goat. Expect to see him as the butt of many a joke for the remainder of the season.

You might wonder why I would choose a pitcher who is off to such a hot start as the team whipping boy. There are many reasons, three of which I shall outline for you below.

First, I don't approve of his over-sensitivity. I don't think the team can count on a guy long-term who takes being traded so personally and who is so persnickety about his relationship with his catcher. A relationship which is forcing the Reds to maintain three catchers, one of them being David Ross.

Second, I don't think he's demonstrated strength of character. Arroyo comes off as a talented-but-over-indulged rock-star-wannabe. For me, fandom has more to do with what a person is like than how they perform on the field, and I haven't yet seen anything out of Arroyo as a person that impresses me.

Finally, he was a jerk to me, which you'll find out all about when you read his Human League entry.

Bronson Arroyo is the number two starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the Reds from the Boston Red Sox before the 2006 season in exchange for Wily Mo Peña.

In Boston, Arroyo would have been working long relief or spot starting for injured starters, and coming to the Reds gave him the opportunity not only to start regularly, but also to move to the top of the rotation.

Didn’t stop him, though, from running his mouth about how upset he was to be traded to Cincinnati. As if it weren’t bad enough that he told the world that he’d rather work out of the bullpen in Boston than be in the starting rotation anywhere else, he went on to compare being traded to having one’s children killed in a plane crash. Charming.

Wait, this is the baseball stuff section.

Arroyo’s got a fastball in the high-80s and has had a hell of a start to the 2006 season. Despite the fact that I’ve recently chosen him to be my personal goat, I’d like to see it continue.

Bronson Arroyo is the number two starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the Reds from the Boston Red Sox before the 2006 season in exchange for Wily Mo Peña.

In Boston, Arroyo would have been working long relief or spot starting for injured starters, and coming to the Reds gave him the opportunity not only to start regularly, but also to move to the top of the rotation.

Didn't stop him, though, from running his mouth about how upset he was to be traded to Cincinnati. As if it weren't bad enough that he told the world that he'd rather work out of the bullpen in Boston than be in the starting rotation anywhere else, he went on to compare being traded to having one's children killed in a plane crash. Charming.

Wait, this is the baseball stuff section.

Arroyo's got a fastball in the high-80s and has had a hell of a start to the 2006 season. Despite the fact that I've recently chosen him to be my personal goat, I'd like to see it continue.

The Reds showed flickers of the energy and shared responsibility for scoring that got them off to such a great start when they won over the Nationals by a score of 6-9 on Wednesday night.

Aaron Harang got the start and worked six innings. He allowed four runs (earned) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five but allowed two home runs to get the no-decision.

Jerry Narron pinch hit for Harang when he had only 92 pitches in the sixth. In his place, he sent Todd Coffey to the mound in the seventh. Coffey worked one and two-thirds innings, allowing one run (earned) on two hits and a walk. That earned run brought his ERA up to 0.90. The line doesn't look great by Coffey's standards, but I still thought it was weird when Narron replaced him with Kent Mercker.

Mercker faced one batter and handed him an earned run. David Weathers took over for the remaining inning and a third of the game. He allowed no runs on two hits and a walk, but ended up with the blown save and eventually the win. Scoring is weird.

Ryan Freel finally got a hit and promptly stole second and third to go along with Felipe Lopez' four stolen bases on the night. Lopez went 2-for-3 on the night with two walks.

Austin Kearns went 4-for-4 with a walk. That's pretty much what prompted this post about him finally achieving his form. I hope I didn't jinx him.

Chris Denorfia enjoyed an intentional walk in what would turn out to be his final game before being sent down to make room for Ken Griffey, Jr. coming off the DL. David Weathers swung the bat in the bottom of the eighth for the first time since some ridiculously long time ago like 2004. It didn't amount to anything, much to no one's surprise.

The win brought the Reds' record to 22-12. The Reds would go on to close out the series against the Nationals Thursday night, facing Bronson Arroyo against Zach Day.